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Remake discussions regularly revolve around the same examples. Mainstream titles that stand as milestone examples of remake eras. The Fly (goopy 1980s remakes). The Ring (the Japanese remake avalanche). The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the rise of Platinum Dunes). But what about the less noteworthy efforts that don’t get spotlight attention? Every so often, I like to give the little guys a chance to shine. Enter Roger Corman’s The Wasp Woman, and Jim Wynorski’s 1995 update.

Corman’s moniker as “The King of Cult” stems from sci-fi schlock like The Wasp Woman, eerily reminiscent of 1958’s The Fly. Buzzy commentary on glamor and wackadoo experimentation leads to zany creature elements later, allowing Corman to play around with monster makeup. It’s only fitting that Wynorski would remake The Wasp Woman for Showtime decades later; a filmmaker honoring his mentor by amplifying the film’s shock-jock potential. Corman gave Wynorski his start in the industry,...

Frances Doel, neé Frances Margaret Doel, writer-producer-executive known for her work with indie film legend Roger Corman, died May 26 after a long illness. She was 83.

Born April 15, 1942 in London, Doel was the daughter of Iris Doel and Sgt. Francis Doel, a Royal Armoured Corps soldier killed in action in France during World War II. Doel found Corman’s job posting for an assistant on a jobs board at Oxford University as a graduating scholarship student of St. Hilda’s College.

A devoted daughter, loving sister, animal lover, and deeply caring friend, Doel died on May 26th after a long illness. She was born on April 15, 1942 in London to Iris Doel and Sgt. Francis Doel of the Royal Armoured Corps, who was killed in action in France during WW2. As a graduating scholarship student of St. Hilda’s College at Oxford University in the U.K., Doel found Corman’s job...

Dinoshark

Stars: Eric Balfour, Iva Hasperger, Aaron Diaz | Written by Frances Doel, Guy Prevost | Directed by Kevin O’Neill

Recently (very recently!), I reviewed The Devil’s Tomb. I didn’t like it. My main criticism was that it took its stupid concept seriously, without humour or irony and I concluded that it wasn’t even worthy of being deemed ‘so bad, it’s good’. I watched The Devil’s Tomb immediately before I watched Dinoshark – now this is how to do a bad film well. Dinoshark is an unaccountably terrible film. But it knows this and is utterly hilarious.

The film begins with a chunk dropping off an ice shelf, from which several tadpole-like things emerge. Cut to three years later and behold! The Dinoshark! (Which, if you hadn’t guessed, is essentially a big shark with a tyrannosaurus Rex’s head.) The abominable being swims to Mexico to...

Megasaurus, Megapiranha, Supercroc, Dinocroc and now Dinoshark. What is your catch of the week? The plotline follows the usual giant animal terrorizing beaches, but this time Roger Corman stars with Eric Balfour (Skyline). This title releases on DVD and Blu-Ray April 26th and here is your fair warning to stay out of the water. More details are below.

A partial synopsis for Dinoshark is here:

"Local captain Trace McGraw (Eric Balfour) and marine biologist Carol (Iva Hasperger) seem to be the only ones convinced that the creature terrorizing their shores is something other than the expected man-eating shark. They enlist the help of the world’s only expert on the Dinoshark (Roger Corman himself). Together, will they be able to reel Dinoshark in?

Release Date: April 26th, 2011 (DVD, Blu-Ray).

Director: Kevin O'Neill.

Writers: Frances Doel and Guy Prevost.

Producers: Roger Corman and Julie Corman.

Cast: Aaron Diaz, and Humberto Busto.

Roger Corman (a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at our recent Trinity of Terrors) is a mainstay of the American Film Market and always has been, and that’s where we caught up again with the veteran producer, who’s doing a couple of new killer-fish movies for the Syfy channel. “Dinocroc was a big hit for us,” he tells Fango, “and Syfy wanted another one, so now we have Dinoshark, which we shot in Mexico, and that has turned out so well, the next one we’ll do for them is…

“Octoshark!” No doubt this flick is about a crossbreed between the two sea species, though we’d like to think it concerns a great white trying to raise too many offspring and becoming a media sensation. In any case, Dinoshark was directed by Kevin O’Neill (who also helmed Dinocroc) from a script by Frances Doel and...